Potato-cutting machine



H. J. SMITH POTATO CUTTING MACHINE at I 4.

led 0 Patented duty 1, 192-4.

HENRY J. SMITH, O1? IJIIN'NEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

POTATO-CUTTING llIAGI-IINE.

Application filed. Gctober 28, 19255.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY J. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented new and useful Potato-Cutting Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to hand or power driven machines ofthe continuous operation type, or machines not dependent upon plungersto force the potatoes through the cutting knives.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a potato cuttingmachine in which potatoes of varying size can be cut into pieces of amore suitable size for planting, or feeding purposes and to provide amachine in which the cutting operations are constant, thus providinggreat cutting caacity.

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangements of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention isshown.

In said drawings I Figure 1 is a plan view of the belt or gear side ofthe machine with the belt pulley removed.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the machine with the feeding rolls andcutting knife adjustment in section.

Figure 3 is a sectional end view of the machine on the lines A,B, Figure1.

Figure 4 is an assembly view inside of frame member 3 of yokes 13 and 14and equalizing levers 15, 16 and 17 and spring 2Q.

Figure 5 is a top view of the parts shown in Figure 4, and shows ingreater detail method of attaching the ends of connecting levers 16 and17 to yokes 13 and 14.

Referring to the figure by character of reference, 1 designates theframe which is composed of side members 2 and 3, and end pieces 4 and 5.The lower side of frame members 2 and 3 terminates in brackets to whichare bolted the supporting legs 6, 'Z, 8 and 9,

Serial No. 597,691.

Within the lower part of the frame, pivoted on shafts 10 and 11 areyokes 13 and 14. In the upper ends of yokes 13 and 14 are hearings inwhich revolve shafts 21 and 22. Securely attached to that portion ofshaft 21 which is between the bearings of yoke 14 are feeding rolls 23,24, 25, 26, and 27, hereafter known as a set. Also attached to shaft 22between the upper ends of yoke 13 are feeding rolls 28, 29, 30, 31, and32, hereafter known as aset. These two sets of feeding rolls are sospaced upon shafts 21 and 22 that there is room between them for thestretching from one end piece 4 to the other end piece 5 of cuttingknives 33, 34, and 35. In the central portion of the frame, above and atright angles to knives 33, 34, and 35 is cutting knife 36. Knives 33,34, 35, and 36 are held securely within the frame by their ends beingprovided with bolts and nuts by means of which they are drawn taut. Thetwo sets of feeding-rolls are prevented from coming in contact with eachother or with knife 36 by means of stop pins 37 and 38 inside of framemember 3, against which the arms of yoke-s 13 and 14 come in contact.

The outer rims, of the individual members of the two sets of feedingrolls are provided with depressions, or corrugations of varying depthsare so held in alignment in the roll assemblies as to provide cups orpockets which seize the potatoes to be cut and pre vent their slippingout of place while being forced through the cutting knives. The two setsof feeding rolls in addition to a revolving motion also have areciprocating motion to or from each other by being carried in yokes 13and 14 which are pivoted at their lower ends, on shafts 10 and 11 insideof frame members 2 and 3. As these two sets of feed rolls swing to orfrom each other they are kept at approximately the same distance fromknife 36 by means of equalizing levers 15, 16 and 17 acting on theswinging ends of yokes 13 and 14. Equalizing lever 15 being pivoted atits central portion to frame member 3 its outer ends are by means of arivet 49 hinged to one end of connecting levers 16 and 17, the otherends of levers 16 and 17 being connected by means of a screw to one sideof yokes 13 and 14.

The two sets of feeding rolls are caused to revolve at a uniform speedin opposite directions by there being mounted on the Outer ends at haf s21 sa -22, gears: 33

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and 40. In consta t mesh with gears 39 and a0 are gears il and i2, Gearsll and 42 are in turn connected together by gears 43 and 44:. Gears 4?)and 44 turn on axles attached to the lower portion of frame member 3,while gears l1 and 42 revolve upon the outer ends of shafts l0 and 11.Securely attached to gear 44 is belt pulley Gears 39 and are enabled tohave a swinging as wel as a revolving motion by being connected throughshafts 21 and 22 to the swinging ends of yokes 13 and 14.

The two sets of feeding rolls are caused to revolve by being connectedthrough shaft 22 with crank L6 or through shafts 2-1 and 22 and gears39, -10, 41, l2, 43, and 4a with belt pulley 19. The two sets of feedingrolls are ordinarily held in close proximity to each other by means ofan adjustable spring 20 being connected to the upper ends of yokes 13and 14 so that the necessary gripping pressure to enable the feedingrolls to grasp and securely hold potatoes while forcing them through thecutting knives.

In operation when the two sets of feeding rolls are caused to revolvetoward each other by power applied either at the belt pulley or crank ifpotatoes are dropped between the feeding rolls they will immediately beseized by cups in the outer surface of the feeding rolls and as they arecarried downward they are prevented from being crushed by their forcingapart the two sets of feeding rolls and the extension of spring 20. itsthe potatoes pass through the cutting knives they drop into spout 4-7.Sprin 20 at all times maintaining a uniform grip-- ping action on thepotatoes being cut or returns the feeding rolls working position. Thesize of the pieces into which a potato can be cut are dependent upon thewill of the operator and the number of knives left in the machine.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is I l. A potato cuttingmachine, consisting of a frame supported by supporting legs, cuttingknives stretched through the central or inner portion of said frame,means for drawing these knives to the desired tension, means for holdingrevolving and swinging feeding rolls among the cutting knives and meansfor imparting a positive revolving motion to said feeding rolls.

2. A potato cutting machine consisting of frame supported uponsupporting legs, hearings in the lower portion of said frame, shaftssupported within said bearings, gears free to revolve upon one outer endof said shafts, means for rigidly holding these shafts within the lowerends of the swingmg yokes, said yokes having shaft bearings in the upperends, shafts free to revolve within said. bearings, spaced andpositively driven feeding rolls securely attached to said shafts andmeans for causing the two sets of feeding rolls to retain a properfeeding relationship to each other and to the cutting knives, centrallylocated cutting knives operating among and between the two sets offeeding rolls.

Potato cutting machine consisting of a frame, supported by supportinglegs. knives within the frame, feeding rolls operated among said cuttingknives, means for driving the feeding rolls by means of a crank or abelt pull y, which drives said rolls by means of gearing connecting saidrolls through their axles to each other and to the belt pulley.

4:. A. potato cutting machine, consisting of a frame, supported bysupporting legs, knives within the frame, positive driven feedii'igrolls operating among the knives, means for controlling the swingingaction of said rolls in reference to each other and to the centralcutting knife and means for retaining, timing and driving gears upon theside of said frame in proper relation to each other and to the drivingpulley and feeding rolls.

5. A potato cutting machine, consisting of a frame supported uponsupporting legs, knives within the frame, swinging yokes pivoted in thelower portion of said frame, feeding rolls mounted within said yokes,means for holding the feeding rolls in a close but elastic proximity toeach other, equalizing levers for controlling the swinging action ofsaid rolls in relation to the central cutting knife, means forpreventing the feeding rolls from coming in contact with each otherorwith the central cutting knife, means for preventing the feeding rollsfrom twisting within the frame, means for preventing potatoes fromslipping from between the feeding rolls or out of position while passingbetween said rolls, and means for holding potatoes within a con venientdistance of the operator.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, l have hereto atlixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses;

HENRY J. SMITH. \Vitnesses GEORGE E. SMITH, PAUL J. THOMPSON.

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